A little more progress to report.
I didn't like the exhaust port on the kit... just a little too flat for my taste. So I drilled out the opening...
Added some contour to the port...
And then added the PE part. I had a heckuva time trying to position the circular piece correctly. Need to get some slower setting CA glue!
Painted and added the turbocharger exhaust to the fuselage...
Port fuselage ready for mating...
Fit, as many of you might have guessed, is excellent!
Skipped over to some smaller details while the fuselage dries. I hollowed out the business end of the rocket tubes.
The ammo chutes under the wings are molded open but the plastic is thick here...
I grinded the plastic around the openings with a dremel tool...
The wheel wells were dressed up with the Eduard PE parts and some scratchbuilt lead wiring...
I added a small decal to the gas strut and gave the wells a dirty wash...
Back to the fuselage... I fine sanded the glue seam. Only required a dab of Mr. Surfacer on the spine around the canopy opening.
The engine/cowling assembly has been completed and the PE cowl struts are placed on the front of the fuselage. They stick straight out and will simply be bent into shape when the cowling is pressed into place.
Fuselage is mostly complete.